Maximize Holiday Learning Fun: 4 Tips for Skyrocketing Literacy Engagement
Season’s Greetings
Parents always ask me, “what should my child do over break?” I remember my first years of teaching and teachers were mandated to create a holiday packet for students to complete over break and turn in when school resumed. Let’s be honest, how many students actually completed the entire packet and how many families waited until the night before school to complete it? During the hustle and bustle of the holiday season families are busy with holiday festivities, family gatherings, travel, etc. Who really has time to complete schoolwork during the busy holiday season? Now, don’t get me wrong, students should still be engaged in some sort of literacy/learning activities but not with a punitive requirement attached.
Parents, I’ve got you covered during this busy season. I have created a guide to Maximize Holiday Learning Fun with 4 Tips for Skyrocketing Literacy Engagement.
REST
Rest?! Yes, rest. Allow your child to rest. They have worked hard and been quite busy since the beginning of the school year. It’s ok to allow them to have a few days to sleep in, veg out and just do nothing. Students need a chance to unwind from the very busy first semester. Give them some grace, trust me it’s much needed for the ENTIRE family.
Basket of Books
Keep a “basket of books” on hand for your child to read. You can keep the basket in a central location in your home, the coffee table, dining room, etc. Fill the basket with holiday themed books OR books related to their interest. Create a space and TIME to read. Perhaps make a no phone zone, schedule a family reading night and allow the children to pick a book of their choice to read aloud OR everyone can choose to read their own book for 30 minutes. This is a great idea to create family and literacy time.
A Creative Approach to Holiday Learning
Ok, who doesn’t love a good holiday treat. While you are baking your tasty holiday treats allow your child to help but have them read the steps to the recipe and explain what they need to do. Also, the same thing can be done with instructions that come with all the holiday gifts. Have them read the instructions and retell the directions to you to make sure they comprehend the instructions. In addition, for your early readers some of the popular plastic construction toys have wordless directions in which the child has to look at the pictures and put the kit together. Allow them to do that and have them explain the process.
Writing
Wait…what? Writing? Reading and writing skills go hand in hand. Have your child write a letter to Santa. They can write an “old school” letter, with pen, paper, envelope, a stamp and put in the good ol’ “Santa mail” at the mall or other organizations and companies that offer Santa mail. This process will help them learn formal writing skills and help with language arts skills. Lastly, have your child keep a journal. There are several types of journals that they can keep, for instance, travel journals, reading journals, holiday journals, sports journals, etc.
I hope you are able to use my 4 Tips to Skyrocket Literacy Engagement over the Holiday Break. If you need a reading tutor for the winter semester, click the getting started link to schedule tutoring sessions Tutoring Sign UP.
Happy Holidays,
Shannon
